


Robosapiens

by MetalAmadeus



Series: Wild Hopes [5]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Bunnyburrow Sheriff, Cyberpunk, Deputy Sheriff, Gen, Inspired by Metal /m/, Inspired by Music, Judy in Bunnyburrow, Nick in Bunnyburrow, Organized Crime, Sheriff - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-05-30 07:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15092351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalAmadeus/pseuds/MetalAmadeus
Summary: After five years as a street patrol officer at ZPD Precinct One, the first and still only bunny cop in Zootopia, understood she would never be able to realize her dream in Zootopia. So, the doe transfers to Bunnyburrow, to officially become the new Sheriff of Bunnyburrow. And surely, a Sheriff needs a deputy. But the one she gets is... can this creature even be considered a mammal?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be an extremely short piece to entertain me through the day-offs while I still write the next chapter for A Predator's Heart.
> 
> The song for this one is Natural Blues by Moby. An extremely nostalgic piece from a long time ago, and it fit.

\m/

Nick Wilde was many things throughout his life. He was charming, sly and shifty. He was a red fox with a drama queen attitude and a large ego. He was called a son of a bitch, a heartless bastard and a devil's spawn. And he was totally okay with all of it. For despite how much others scorned his constantly present smile no matter what issue the tod was thrown into, in spite of all the slurs and curses thrown his way, he was needed.

Now though, in the aftermath of the Alistaja project and its origins being made public, the fox suddenly found himself "free from the oppressive hands of government" and completely unneeded. In the eyes of society, he was a pitiful wretch. In the eyes of current public office, he was a mistake of the predecessors that had to be dealt with in the most quiet yet publicly approved way. So, the fox was given a small pension, that would barely cover a rent of a small flat after all his maintenance expenses, a promise to help him adapt to the new life, and then just thrown out onto the street under the applause of dumb yiffers that should have kept their noses to themselves. If he ever got his claws on that ewe…

Still, this was how Nick found himself late in the evening on a train station of another city. Or was it a town? He wasn't sure what to make of it, but the station was deserted despite it being only twenty-two hundred. Well, the tod didn't care anyways. He was broke, scraping whatever was left of his initial funds for the ticket. Usually, he wouldn't even consider leaving Zootopia, a place he knew like the palm of his hand, but there was a position open for someone with his set of skills, and the employer was willing to consider him for the position, given the fox was able to pass the test period lasting three months. He would be given a place to live in, minimum wage exempt from taxes, and some other privileges. As well as fancy title, that even now made him smile for real.

After all, Deputy Sheriff of Bunnyburrow Nick Wilde did have a nice ring to it.

\m/

After five years as a street patrol officer at ZPD Precinct One, the first and still only bunny cop in Zootopia, understood one thing. She would never be able to advance and realize her dream of making the world a better place. She couldn't be whoever she wanted here, only what she was allowed to be by her superiors. And Chief Bogo would never see her as anything but a "waste of space that could be occupied by another competent cop". The water buffalo would never acknowledge how useful she was when dealing with small mammals and the cases they brought to the department. How larger detectives often requested her presence and participation in covert operations, and were denied after she proved herself to be useful in the first three. There was no place for her here.

So, when she suddenly heard of her hometown's sheriff, an elderly bobcat, finally resigning and looking for a substitute, she wasted no time. Her application was not the only one, but out from several goats and deer from nearby villages, there was no one capable of beating her credentials. In two months' time the bunny transferred to Bunnyburrow, and half a year later, was officially Sheriff of Bunnyburrow Judy Hopps.

At first, everything seemed fine, but soon enough, the sharp bunny has realized that if she was to really apply her skills, she needed someone to deal with the brutal part of the job. She looked into the applicants who wanted the sheriff's post, but apparently they lost all interest after learning they would be working for a bunny mascot. Gritting her teeth, Judy located and ad for the position on some large work-search website. There were several applications, but only one of them seemed to be competent enough to answer all of the questions she posted to assess whether or not they were suitable for the position. She didn't know who it was, but they were willing to come to Bunnyburrow and stay for the three-month period when she would be evaluating and teaching them the ropes.

Bunnyburrow was not the peaceful place she left all those long eight years ago. Now, a thirty-two years old bunny, single or some would say married to her work, Judy had to deal with at least one assault each day, two robberies and she had a strong suspicion there was a drug market functioning in her town. Three deaths that seemed to be accidents but all the evidence was too good to be true, six mammals missing for longer than two months. She saw the traces, knew there was a pattern, but with how loaded she was with trivial stuff, she couldn't even start on it! And the bodies couldn't be held in the morgue indefinitely.

Hopefully, her new deputy would arrive soon.


	2. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this one is Glitter Freeze by Gorillaz. 
> 
> In case anyone is wondering, the updates, since the chapters are so short, are going to be daily for some time.   
> I will see where this one gets me, but if this transcends into something bigger, I will put it on hiatus until I finish my main story. 
> 
> Back to your suffering stations!

Judy found herself in a situation, that never would have happened in her wildest nightmares. She knew she wasn’t really popular with the locals after enforcing rules and laws that were written to be upheld by everyone, and not as a voluntary list of things one  might or might not take into consideration when living. This was not a Bible, this was Law. And if she could forgive others for their own choice in not following the former’s principles, she would not forgive those who disobeyed the later.

Still, the doe wasn’t prepared to one day, after once again falling asleep at the office desk, overworked and tired, find herself at a receiving end of an armed assault. She was grateful for her tendency to work with lights off (this saved taxpayers’ money after all), since she woken up by the loud sounds of someone crashing a trash bin and swearing. At first she thought that someone from her family decided to pay her a visit (her mom and dad visited regularly after all), but the voices were not ones she would associate with anyone from her family. For bunnies, hearing was their main instrument of interaction with the environment, as such, voices of the immediate family and friends were ingrained in their minds as sure as ink on paper. Besides, what she heard after that didn’t leave any room for doubts about the intruders intentions. Usually the words like “kill that fugly wench”, accompanied by a sound of charging coils were not meant as a greeting. 

Upon realizing her situation, Judy quickly drew her personal diskthrower out of its holster and aimed it at the ladder leading to the second floor. The building had two stories, with the first one used as a public reception area, and the second being the sheriff's office along with two cells for detainees. It was squarish and rather small, maybe just seven meters each side and four meters tall, supposedly enough for the peaceful and quiet rural town populated by bunnies. Bunnies armed with lethal weaponry that could waste a full grown rhino in just a single volley of concentrated fire. The one who was relying on stereotypes when deciding what the size of local law enforcement force was supposed to be, should be present here and right now, Judy thought. Maybe then they would stop being total idiots and cretins. 

Bunnies were not just your cute little fluff balls. They were extremely dangerous given means and proper predisposition towards violence. Granted, most bunnies were peaceful folk, but even among them there were deviants. Judy was one of them. She had an extremely high adrenaline tolerance and pain threshold, as well as much lower self awareness than was usual for most mammals. This made her a good officer, but were she mislead, this could also make her an excellent lawbreaker. And just from the statistics alone, she was not the only one among her kind. 

Judy knew she was restricted in how she could react. As an officer she had to announce her presence to the criminals, which would significantly lower her chances at surviving the encounter. She had a position advantage, but a limited amount of ammunition and the fastest any help could arrive was around half an hour. The guy who was supposed to come for an interview today didn’t show up at all, she was all alone against at least five of other bunnies with unknown armaments. She could easily take down one or two if she remained hidden, but then the others would kill her, claim self defence and get away unscathed, leaving the press and others with “evidence” that bunnies should not be cops. This was so frustrating, that it made Judy clench her teeth. 

\m/

Nick was not amused by the building. Two stories, barely 50 square meters of area, made of concrete blocks covered with wooden siding The entrance had the same strange bunny head design like the one he saw at the station and nearly the same garish pink theme in painting. If this were to be the place of his work for the nearest three months, the paycheck better be worth it. On the other hand, the tod was broke, his phone’s battery long dead, and he missed the appointed time by six hours, so he was probably not being hired anyway. And the lights in the building were off, apart from a dim illumination on the second floor, possibly from some night illumination for the cells, or the forgotten table lamp. It took him just half an hour to traverse the twelve kilometers that separated the station and the police HQ at a light sprint, but apparently, there was no point in it. 


	3. Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter - Metal is Forever by Primal Fear

\m/

Just when Nick was preparing to leave, his hypersensitive ears has discerned a sound he would be able recognize anywhere. The sound of charging coils on a Mk-II Standard Magnetic Diskthrower Size 3. The low whining and humming of the imperfect capacitors of this outdated model was something he heard a lot when dealing with sub-medium sized species within and outside of Zootopia borders. This pattern of SMD (operating on a rail-propelling principle) and was as deadly and silent as any other and was mass produced during the Second Interspecies War roughly fifty years ago. Its capcacitor design though was slightly off, and due to that it had a tendency to overload and explode in the hands of those who were stupid enough to ignore the extremely fast pace at which the SMD would heat up. The Mk-III (a coil-propelling principle) was considered a much more safe model due to its new coil design, as well as improved conductive materials and coil isolation and production methods. But the new model’s distribution was extremely regulated, so if you wanted to arm your thugs with something that was not under the nose of COW (Control and Origination of Weapons), you bought Mk-II. And even though he was no longer part of the Alistaja project, officially pardoned and in exchange exposed for the whole world to see and judge, Nick was not someone who would just up and leave a potential trouble alone to solve itself. Especially now that he did have a choice.

The fox entered the diminutive building that served as a sheriff's HQ in the Bunnyburrow and was met with an interesting sight. Three bunnies and a coyote were trying to get up the second floor through the only ladder passage, but each time someone tried to show his ugly muzz, he would receive a warning shot from upside.

The diskthrower used by the defender was, judging from the spin pattern and the whining of the disks, and the fact that they were unable to breach the sonic barrier, a police issued SMD Mk-III-p with coil charge regulator and a complex system that determined the needed charge to injure the victim and try not to kill it. There was another drawback with the police-issued SMD’s. Unless authorized by a partner, or through an emergency dispatcher, they would fire only a limited amount of times. And judging by the boldness with which some of the bunnies were screaming their insults up the staircase, they knew it. Their adversary though, remained calm and collected, only snapping off shots that would deter their advances.

Nick knew not what was going on, but that was not needed. He saw enough.

\- Attention. Mr. Josh Hidetail, Alastar, Roderick and Rotmeyer Prigoonski. You are charged with assault at a police HQ and armed assault of an officer of the law. Drop your SMDs and raise your hands in the air. - The fox had an element of surprise on his side, so he was able to finish his speech before the four thugs finally focused a beam from one of their lights on him. Nick didn’t wear anything special. Maroon raincoat that reached his calves, black stretching jeans, black shirt and a bright red tie with a loose knot. He also wore, despite it being dark, a pair of aviator sunglasses. And since it was not a uniform, nor did the tod show any weapons, the four idiots did what they thought would be the smartest decision.

\- Shoot the yiffer down! - Barked the coyote. It was an interesting thing he had to scream something at all, but apparently these bunnies were not really used to dealing with the suicidal sickos like the fox in front of them.

\- You have ten seconds to comply. Officer, please stay back where you are, I’ve got the situation under control! - His second sentence Nick screamed, so that the assailed individual didn’t get involved. As the last words left his muzzle, the first disk hit him square in the chest, bouncing back and not dealing any damage whatsoever.

\- Five seconds remaining. Initiating Alistaja protocol. Directive 11. Under paragraph 13… - The failure of the first shot didn’t dissuade the four attackers and they sent a hail of disks towards the fox. This time though, none even reached the target, being vaporized in the thin air by an invisible wall. Unfortunately for them, despite wearing low-light assisting glasses, the four, even combined, lacked the necessary computing power to comprehend what was happening.

\- … after the ten seconds have elapsed, in case of compliance failure, the targets are to be eliminated. - With a large smile on his muzzle, the fox extracted out of the holsters on his hips his personal eight-charge bolt-throwers.

\- Commence execution!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't know, the SCD's are heavily inspired by Eldar shuriken catapults, with limitations implied by available modern technology. Or as far as I know about it. If we have a specialist on rail and coilguns, I would love to hear their thoughts on weaponry of such kind scaled for the MUCH smaller than us humans mammals. 
> 
> Howleys.


	4. Warpath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is The Warpath by Conner Youngblood.
> 
> My distraught rumblings can be found at the end of this chapter.

Judy was someone who followed her own principles. And one who lead by example. The situation she found herself in was just another test to the strength of her conviction, and the doe was not going to allow something to break it, not even a threat to her life. It was a sad truth that to become a hero, one had to die. So, even if she had to die tonight for upholding her beliefs, maybe it would inspire others to follow in her footsteps?

The bunny was firing off single shots in the direction of her assailants, keeping them at bay. Her personal recorder was on and transferring the video and audio information to the local server. Judy was unsure whether it will be used by other police officers to understand the circumstances of her demise, or by the internal investigations unit to assess her actions in dealing with civilians. As long as they didn't shoot, she was not allowed to deal any serious lethal damage. And the doe, no matter how sure she was of her own abilities, didn't fancy a brawl with three bunnies and a larger mammal. She really needed to have someone larger as a deputy. Or anyone for that matter, since two officers on duty were less restricted in the means they had at their disposal than just one.

Judy had around seven shots left, when she heard a voice from down below. At first, she was relieved, thinking it was finally the time for the help to arrive. But glancing at her watches, the doe realized that it couldn't be so. Exactly seven minutes and twenty four seconds has elapsed since the time she sent request for backup, and the fastest ETA she was given was eighteen minutes. Who was it then? And how did they know the names of the assailants? But, since she doubted she would be able to help much, Judy did as she was told and just stayed back. Even when her ears picked up the unmistakable sounds of discharged coils and catapulted disks, she tried to suppress the oppressive fear within her chest for the newcomer. His voice sounded calm and collected, unperturbed by the barrage that was undoubtedly being sent his way. She wished she could help, but for now her best course of action was to sit back and not to present herself as a target. Whoever was helping, was doing so in order to help an officer of the law, and was probably competent enough.

Or so she thought until the word Alistaja was mentioned. Her eyes grew wide and ears went limp back. The bunny was extremely prideful of the fact she was able to keep up with any and every happenings within both the legal and criminal worlds. And the recent unveiling of a secret government program, labeled Project Alistaja, which meant “oppressor” in Old World language, had her spending nearly a week without sleep, trying to read up all the documents available. And when she heard the thunderous roaring of Magnum Cilinder pattern bolt-throwers, she knew exactly what stood in the hall of the sheriff’s HQ.

A being from a picture. A monster from a tale that probably was told to little children these days. Something that was not supposed to ever walk the face of Animalia. A bred warrior. Someone whose only purpose in life was to take up arms and kill mammals. Project Alistaja was started twenty six years ago as a countermeasure to the rising tensions between United Species Federation and Mammal Republics Union after the Second Interspecies War. Small children, no older than eight, were kitnapped from their families by a secret government agency. They were trained and brought up in a messed up way, that was summed up in a simple statement - they lived to kill. No regrets, no remorse. And as if that wasn’t enough, they were turned into something even more abhorrent. The documents didn’t state specifically on how far, but from the indirect evidence Judy was able to put together, she knew that they were nearly completely changed and cybernized. Their skeleton structure - replaced with carbon-based material and hydraulic support mechanisms. Muscles and other tissues, aside from skin, - replaced with synthetic high density fibers. Their brains - dedicated computing units with artificial intelligence support implanted. All in all, they were turned from mammal beings into something closer to robots. Judy was not even sure whether there was a trace of soul left in them, judging from the list of extensive augmentations conducted on the Alistaja.

The silence from below was deafening after the tundercracks caused by bolt-throwers. With a shiver down her spine, her SMD held at the ready, and her innate insatiable curiosity pushing her ever forward, the doe descended to the first floor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. I KNEW IT. I KNEW I fucked up somwhere, just couldn't comprehend where exactly. That's what I get for writing during a ride and wanting to sleep. Thanks CrazyDoc and OldFan for pointing the idiotic thing on the disks needing distance to achieve more potent speeds out. I was initially thinking on basing the weaponry on the hydrojet aka boltgun tech, but then changed it. And somehow both techs mixed up in my head. So no, I AM NOT A RETARD, SO SILENCE ALL OF THE ALERTS. I was just a bit retarded while writing that chapter, and later when proofing it, lol.  
> I made adjustments in the previous chapter, but nothing worth wasting your time on rereading it.  
> More coments on the tech touched in this chapter are welcome. Loosely based on the process used to create SPARTAN-IIs from Halo universe. You can also try and guess what number Nick got while in the program.  
> We move on with suffering.  
> Howleys.


	5. Alistaja

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have come to the point when I use the song that became the inspiration for the whole story - Alistaja by Ruoska. 
> 
> \m/ Joka vihaa rakastaa, joka rakkautta vihaa! \m/

\m/

It took the fox only two seconds and exactly four shots to turn the innards of the assailants into vapor. His talents were not even needed with such low-level thugs who could only pose a threat to him if they were numbered in hundreds. Still, unlike his certain brothers, Nick much preferred to deal with others by use of his guns, not his brute strength. Why would he even carry them in the first place? 

All in all, the tod was proud of his work. This could be counted as work, couldn’t it? After all, despite being a bit late, he did perform the duty of a deputy sheriff outstandingly. He even came prepared. Although, that probably was due to liberties granted to the members of Alistaja project. 

The twenty participants, of which only eighteen remained, were not just physically augmented. They were, to a certain extent, through the genious and dedication of an individual only known as Combat Engineer, combined with machines that possessed rudimentary artificial intelligence.

The machine within Alistaja was supposed to do two things. First, support him with its computing abilities. Second, act as a guide and safeguard for the Alistaja. The machines were programmed to allow the participants of the program to act only within the allowed pattern. This became known as Alistaja Protocol. There was a drawback to this method, though no one thought of it this way until the day of the programs exposure and dismissal. The protocol was meant as an integral part of the machine, which in turn was meant as an integral part of participants. It was impossible to reprogram them. 

Some idiot at first suggested to simply do away with the “waste” from the project, but quickly changed his mind when facing eighteen barrels of order-crafted boltguns. After all, Nick and his brother Finnick (the smallest of them all, but one should never point it out to him) were known to be the best experts in covert operations and information gathering. 

Later, smarter mammals came to understand that it would be easier to allow the Alistaja to function in accordance to their programs, rather than try restricting them. After all, aside from the battle crazed Twelve and Six, Alistaja just wished to experience normal life. 

This though didn't mean that the bastards who made sure this life was one of poverty and misery would get away with it. As you might know, revenge is a dish best served cold. 

\m/

When Judy reached the end of the staircase, she was greeted with a horrendous sight likes of which she has seen only on the photos. The bunny has seen dead bodies, some even torn and mutilated in car crashes, but this was worse. Each corpse had an exact same size hole in their abdomen, made by an explosive type of bolt. Their innards were burnt and the wounds were cauterized by high temperature of the explosion. Poor idiots didn't even have time to understand how they died, though the bunnies carried painful expressions, probably from how loud the shots were. But this scene couldn't hold her attention for more than a single perfunctory glance. 

The intruder, standing in the center of the room, that was truly the object of her curiosity. But, if she wished to see a being clad in metal, with red lasers in place of eyes, the bunny was sorely disappointed. The fox was… the fox was nothing unusual. Maybe, if she was truthful with herself, he was somewhat more appealing to the eye than any other fox she has met before, during and after her career in Zootopia. Especially that sure smile that he wore, despite killing other living beings in cold blood. At least, thought the cynical Judy-on-Duty part of the bunny, this wouldn’t require too much paperwork to deal with. Alistaja protocol was something that would not allow the individual use of lethal weaponry without reason. And since they all possessed inbuilt cameras, the video of the incident would be a solid enough evidence for her innocence. 

\- Ma’am. You alright? Any need of medical assistance? - While she was observing the fox, he apparently was doing the same to her. Thankfully Judy wasn’t even grazed, having been extremely careful during the siege. 

\- I am fine, no help needed. And you are? - The tod has already hidden his bolt-throwers, so Judy followed suit. She was in no immediate threat, and it was unwise to held onto a potentially lethal weaponry in the presence of Alistaja. They were made to retaliate in case of any potential threat and use any means necessary to ensure their continued functioning , including being the first one’s to open lethal fire. 

\- Nick Wilde, ma’am. I came here for the deputy sheriff position interview. Alas, a string of unfortunate events left me with a much later train to take and no means of connection to notify you of my late arrival. I beg your pardon for inconveniencing you. - The fox looked around while Judy stared at the fox, her jaw dropping nearly to the floor. An Alistaja was applying for a deputy sheriff position under some country bumpkin? Weren’t they, like, super important and expensive investment for the government, despite all the negative reaction to the project and its closure?

\- If you are fine, I will be leaving then, sheriff ma’am. Wouldn’t want to make a fuss with the local press. Good evening. - With this, the tod turned around, ready to leave. 

\- Why? - The question made the fox stop and turn his head to look back at the bunny.

\- I beg your pardon, could you…

\- Why did you want this position? - Judy felt conflicted. Alistaja were something that her full being stood against. Machines created of mammals with a single purpose to kill. Yet, they were restricted in the way they could react. And she really needed a deputy with the particular set of skill the Alistaja in front of her had. What to do, how to choose? Deciding to trust her gut feeling on this one, Judy asked the first thing that came to her mind. 

Nick was pretty sure he knew the right answer to the question. He could easily access thousands of essays on why mammals wanted jobs, leaf through them all, select the best worded bits and then build his speech based on them in just two seconds. He could send mammals into tears with his passionate speeches before, why not use this tallent now? He could. 

\- I am penniless. And this was the first place that overlooked the fact I was a red fox in his thirties without any previous documented place of work. I also thought it was the best position to use my skills and have fun living in calm and relaxed way. I like learning new things, after all, so this dull and crime free carrot-farming heaven was supposed to become mine. - Nick would want to know for years, what compelled him to answer this little bunny honestly, but each time he would ask himself that question, he would immediately dismiss it as unimportant. After all, he couldn’t complain of the results of his decision. 

The bunny sighed and rubbed her forehead while trying to hide her smile at the las sentence. 

\- Fine, I think we can overlook the fact you were late for the interview, I am still in the office after all. And we don’t have much time to conduct it anyway, so I will just take a wild chance here and hire you for the probation period, as was previously agreed. I’ll just need to register you. What is your Alistaja designation number?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the number that Nick has, it's quite simple for those who knows their WH40k Horus Heresy (aka WH30k) lore and the Adeptus Astartes Legions primarchs. He will have the number of the Legion, the primarch of which he represents. And for those who just might want to take part in the guessing, it's a number from 1 to 20. 
> 
> Howleys and voitele alistaja, robosapiens!


	6. Who would give up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Kuka luopuisi kuolemastaan by Ruoska.

\m/

All the work, connected with processing the four corpses, in addition to officially registering one Nicholas Piberius Wilde as a Deputy Sheriff of Bunnyburrow, took half the night. During this time Judy had to endure half an hour questioning of her “backup” that arrived well past twenty three hundred mark. Extremely irritated, the bunny was nevertheless grateful that the new fox was well versed in standard ZPD protocols and took care of documenting and securing the scene until the coroner’s arrival tomorrow. She just had to deal with a ton of paper pushing. Despite all the progress transferring actual work from paper to portable electronic devices, the amount of work that was needed didn't dwindle. On the contrary, the number of forms and stupid questions seemed to double, effectively negating all the time saved. For an “n”-th time, with “n” easily being over nine thousand, Judy tried to look positively at this - they just to keep all the mammals on the other side occupied with something, or fire half of them. Bureaucratic machine workers wanted to eat like all the other mammals after all. 

That's why her new deputy found her with a strained smile and a twitching nose nearly at four in the morning suggesting he get somewhere to rest for the day and get back to work the next day at eight hundred sharp. The fox tod just snorted in response and sent her off to sleep. Nick promised to take care of things in the early morning with the coroner, removal of the bodies and cleaning of the Sheriff’s HQ first floor. At first thinking to protest, Judy remembered that in front of her was not your average Joe, but a mammal heavily modified to ensure his functioning in conditions other mammals would find unbearable for a number of reasons. And the tod didn't seem to show any signs of fatigue, so the bunny took his proposition, telling him to wake her up at six thirty. With a nod from her deputy, the sheriff dragged her feet upstairs once more and plopped on the couch. Soon the bunny was soundly sleeping, never noticing the russet furred figure that threw a maroon colored coat over her still form.

When Judy woke up, she felt rested enough to get through another grueling day. For some reason the doe was surrounded by a faint familiar smell. That of machine oil used to lubricate parts of trucks and machines used at her farm. The source was a cloak that served her as a makeshift blanket. With a start, as her eyes landed on the digital clock hanging on the opposite from the sofa wall and then to the closed curtains on the tall windows, she realise that the reason for her rested feeling was a full seven hours long sleep she didn't experience in a while now. Sweet-cheese-n-cracker’ing, the bunny doe leapt out from her impromptu bed and raced for her laptop. Unlocking it, she immediately was met with her ZeBat window and a number of marked mails, received from nine till ten, all having a reply to them already written and sent. There was also a sticker attached to the keyboard that read: 

“I would like to discuss security measures to be taken by the office ASAP. Took me only half a minute to access your account, which is unacceptable.

d'Sheriff N. Wilde.” 

The signature made the doe snicker, but his admission at spending thirty seconds to break through her crafty combination of symbols letters and numbers irritated her to no end. Anyways, she better go check how all the other things were going. 

When she finally reached the first floor, her eyes registered the lack of bodies and other damages from the previous night, aside from the little dents from disks. As well as some commotion coming from the direction of the central entrance. Surprisingly, all of the windows were curtained, and the front entrance glass doors were covered with what the doe suspected was a mirrorfilm - a thin film that hid what was happening inside but still allowed for seeing what was going on outside. And what she saw made the bunny doe pinch herself in disbelief. 

During the time Judy Hopps worked as a Sheriff of Bunnyburrow she learned one thing. In the eyes of the press it never mattered who or what you were. They would get what they wanted no matter what you tried to do to oppose them. They were the bane of her existence even more so than the criminals she tried to track down, put into jail, and make the charges against them hold. 

But there, just outside the central entrance to Sheriff’s HQ stood an orderly line of reporters, their operators several feet behind them, all listening intently to what the fox was saying. The soundproofing of the building was much better than one would think, so even with her excellent bunny hearing, Judy struggled to pick anything beyond stifled mumbling. Curious, the doe slightly opened the front doors, so that she could hear what her new deputy sheriff was saying. 

\- ... concludes the overall description of the events that transpired yesterday evening. The identities of the criminals will be revealed in due time as the investigation progresses. Mr. Reginald, your question. - The fox, standing straight, legs spread and hands held behind his back as if on military duty, inclined his head to a tall brownish hare from Burrow’s Herald. The buck was known for his provocative and aggressive attitude when taking interviews, especially from predators that came to or lived in the Bunnyburrow. Judy internally groaned at what would happen this time only to blink in surprise.

\- Yes, sir. You mentioned that this was a try on Sheriff Hopps’ life. What led you to such conclusions and does the Sheriff consider any other options. - The hare seemed to be a completely different person than what Judy knew him to be. Respectful, collected, to the point. What the cheese and crackers was transporting in front of her?! 

\- The circumstances of the attack as witnessed by myself and recorded by the CCN. As well as the fact the armaments used by the assailants were of military grade. This, as well as established connections of apprehended individuals. More information I cannot disclose for the safety of said individuals and the ongoing investigation. Currently this is the main version that fits all the facts. There are other versions, undoubtedly, but even in case new facts supporting either of them are established, the handling of the case and charges against the assailants will not change. This covers all I can disclose in regards to shooting. Now, as promised, two questions in regards to the staff of Bunnyburrow’s Sheriff HQ will be answered to... - With this, Nick made a show of looking over the crowd of reporters, most of them mammals half his height. 

\- Mr. Wilde, has your species been taken into consideration when you applied for the position in a predominantly small prey populated region? - Cried out an ewe in the middle of the crowd, only to be drowned out in a flurry of voices that followed her outburst. Questions were shouted without any regard for order that governed the place just moments ago. They ranged from the more simple ones like “why did you become a cop” and “why here” to more harsh “how did a fox get to be a fox” or “why should predators be put into position of power over the majority of population, prey”. Just like Judy remembered them. Maybe their initial fear of the fox has finally passed and they didn't feel any need to behave again? Anyways, the doe thought the situation to be out of anyone's control, back to its customary chaos. That was until a loud thundercrack sundered the air. 

\- Need I really remind you all about the consequences of your behavior? - Judy wished she could see the expressions of the journalists and the tod himself. Boltguns were rare after all. And hearing one shoot was not something mammals were used to. The silence after the shot was nearly deafening. 

\- Ms. Lovebrood, Mr. Snapper, I will be waiting for your arrival at nineteen hundred sharp. In case of any problems on your side please notify me through the newly established chat group. - A snowshoe hare, Luna Lovebrood, who relocated to Bunnyburrow a bit less than two years ago with her widowed father, and a lean coyote with a rare Old World name of Severus Snapper were the only reporters to remain silent with their hands raised high during the commotion. 

\- Now, aside from Ms. Butterfluff who I inquire to stay behind, disperse. I will notify you all of the next press release in a few days or when there are significant findings in regards to the try on sheriff’s life. Good day to you and take care. - Judy had to give the fox due credit. While he behaved in a way she never expected, acting as someone who owns the place in spite of a large number of reporters used to push and pull law enforcement officers as they pleased, there was no way to deny his natural charm and the mesmerizing power of his voice. He was a splendid orator, both keeping the crowd enthralled and on edge, afraid of him and liking him. He reminded her a bit of the way her father spoke with his young children, strictly yet with care and sincerity. Though she wondered what punishment awaited the ewe. 

\- Ms. Butterfluff. As Deputy Sheriff, I must make sure that you and your colleagues follow the established rules of interacting with the police representatives during press conferences. Your outburst was unwarranted and in violation of protocol. You are banned from the next press conference. - The ewe didn't look too pleased, but she just swallowed whatever response she had at the tip of her tongue and simply nodded. 

\- Good. Though, not as a deputy I must say that sometimes rules have to be broken. Sometimes one does have to go through all the restrictions and obstacles to get to the truth, so I cannot actually begrudge you from trying to get an answer to a question you didn't think you would get the chance to ask. And you were right in supposition, I wouldn't have picked you. But you now have another channels to ask questions, don't you? As such, I will have to ask you to refrain from shouting out your questions if you want to have any exclusive information. Use the chat group. It may not be as fast, but at least it will save you from being banned next time. Good day to you. - Once more, the sheep just nodded and turned away from the fox, mumbling something under her breath, outside of Judy's hearing range. Just as the ewe was about to make her fifth step, Nick called out to her. 

\- Since your question was important in my opinion I will give you the answer. No, I wasn't asked about my species or judged by it. The only requirements were professional compatibility with the job and size. I doubt you would want a gerbil as a Deputy Sheriff, or an elephant. - With those words, the tod turned back to the central entrance and with a purposeful gait started moving to it. 

Meanwhile, Judy was starting to think that maybe this whole endeavor of hers wasn't as bad as she was afraid at first. At least her new deputy could handle the press, mails and all the other communications apparently too. But, this was only expected from Number Fifteen. The doe now only wondered how he would show himself during the fieldwork when shooting wasn't involved. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. It was fun reading the several comments that tried to guess in Nick’s Alistaja designation number. But, it also made me realise that I am a bad character portrayer. Oh well, I guess I am not that surprised or disheartened about this finding...
> 
> Who am I kidding, when was the last time I cared about being bad at something? I don't remember, and I don't care.
> 
> Nick's number is 15, by the number of Thousand Sons legion led by Magnus the Red, also known as Cyclops, One-eyed, Crimson King. They were the legion of psykers (mages of wh40k) and sought knowledge above all else. Magnus envisioned one day humanity consisting of only powerful psykers and saw his mission in helping his father Emperor of Mankind in guiding humanity to this glorious day. And hoarding knowledge, off course. All knowledge. Even the one that was better left forgotten.   
> I am in no mood to describe my thought process on why, though. So tired from writing, Want to put so much into words, but the actual action of striking the screen of my phone irritates me to no end since it's so slow.   
> AS such, anyone can agree or disagree on Nick's number. I don't really care, since I am the master of all the letters here! So, suffer.
> 
> Howleys.


	7. Then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this one is Gods Made Heavy Metal by Manowar.

The first day of her new deputy officially accepting his duties and executing them went in a flurry of surprises for Judy. The bunny didn't count to get a fox, and an Alistaja at that, as her first deputy, but this didn't even start to compare to the unexpected experience and expertise of the tod in different spheres of a law enforcers life. From her working laptop’s security, to the overall image and finances of the Bunnyburrow’s Sheriff Office. The level of knowledge and understanding shown by the fox left Judy feeling incompetent, despite the fact that her new deputy was not showing any judgment on her lack of knowledge of certain things. On the contrary, Nick seemed delighted when he stumbled on something that could be improved or built from scratch, and he always seeked to align his own stance with her. After such a long time of being considered just a “political appointment” it was refreshing to be treated as a “real deal”.

Though, throughout the day, Judy saw some signs that she recognized from her own experience. Despite his externally calm and collected demeanor, his eyes told a slightly different story. A story of a lonely creature seeking approval of another. Suffering for years through rejections, Judy knew how painful it was and couldn't put through such an experience a fellow mammal. Especially someone she was in charge of. She would never be like chief Bogo. 

\m/

When the day ended came the question of Nick's lodgings. The fox has confessed the fact he was broke, but the system would not allow for him to have an advance payment, so he wished to borrow a bit, since he didn't need much to live. Judy refused, and told the tod that everything was prepared. It was her turn to surprise him.

First, with her driving that he told her was worse than his acquaintance from Zootopia. When questioned on whether this was a good or bad thing, she was answered with a cryptic smile and refusal to be goaded into divulging any more information. 

Next was their destination. Nicholas knew the map of Bunnyburrow like his five fingers (thanks to his implants) and when they turned (at sixty miles per hour on a ground road) towards Hopps Family Farm, the tod threw his tenth joke of the day (Judy counted them starting from the moment he began his five minute sections with Mrs. Lovebrood and Mr. Snapper). 

\- Am I to be sacrificed on one of your local bunnies’ traditional family dinners? - The hard braking has nearly sent the fox muzzle first into the SUV’s torpedo. Luckily, his seatbelt has prevented this scenario. A little less luckily, he now sported a stylish pawshaped icicle eyepatch. 

\- Despite you looking like a giant carrot, I doubt you would taste just as good. I heard there are way too many chemicals in you city slickers. And we prefer our food natural and organic. - Once more the SUV has gained speed as its smug driver pushed the pedal to the metal once more. The fox was left to his grumbling as he tried to pull out the offending confection without damaging his delicate face fur too much. 

Finally, they reached the farms entrance. It was interesting how the actual farm had concrete driveways between the many different buildings for varying purposes of an agricultural household. Or more like for a medium sized business, if one were to go by the tax legislation. 

Judy expected some sort of trepidation or reluctance from the fox when she told him the place for him to live would be one of the guest quarters at her family's house, which is why the doe delayed divulging this piece information until they were actually in front of it. A square unassuming building two floors high with mammals larger than bunnies in mind. But the tod didn't seem to be even slightly fazed, oozing his usual (from what the bunny experienced so far) confidence and nonchalance from the ever present smirk of his. But the question the fox asked her first, after being showed his room, was not the one she was immediately prepared to answer. 

\- Say, Carrots, what's the bandwidth of your internet connection, is it limited and how do I access it? - Sitting on a rather large for him wolfsized bed, still in uniform (his personal belongings still in a plastic bag in the SUV ) and with both boltguns visible at his sides, it was easy to overlook the fact the tod was from Zootopia and not from some backwater town where they still used the gossip mill to acquire all the necessary information about life around them. And of course the first thing he would ask about would be not where the bathroom or kitchen was, but “how can I get access to your internet”… Sighing, the doe took out her smartphone and dialed the number. 

\- Hey Gareth. Remember the bet? Yes, I owe you twenty. Now get your sorry tail to the guest-hub, room 1-3. - The bunny wore an expression of mild irritation as she ended the call. Judy hated when she was wrong, especially if someone else could gloat about it, like her family members. Or the fox that was just about to open his big yapper. 

\- Zip. It. - To the bunny’s relief, Nick seemed to understand she wasn't joking and did exactly that. With a flourish of a drama theater actor in front of an audience numbered in thousands, rather than just one aggravated doe, he made a show of slowly zipping his maw, locking it and throwing away the key. After which the tod simply went to look around the room. 

When her brother, a greyfurred buck of a slightly lighter shade than Judy’s wearing one of his favourite band's "official merch shirt", came, she prepared to give an explanation on why there was a fox in their guest quarters, but never actually got to that point. For the instance her sibling made it through the door, a loud shriek made both bunnies cover their ears. When the shrieking stopped both Hopps found an extremely lively fox gripping his ears in what seemed to be a rather painful hold, even though they wouldn't fold under the pressure of his paws. 

\- They were on Helfest?! Last month?! Kraken’s bones, I missed it! Friend, as a fellow Manowarrior you have to tell me everything! What did they play?! Are they still in good shape? Is Eric’s voice fine? Do they really seem to plan to retire this time? Though scratch that, I don't believe it anyways. More importantly. Will there be live videos of the event? Was there any info on the next album?! - Gareth seemed stupefied as the tod stood in front of him on his knees, the predator’s elongated muzzle in his face, soft-padded paws on the buck’s shoulders, shaking him, those green eyes filled with desperation…

And just like that, Judy was forgotten. The two males became so engrossed in their discussion of their favourite band, they never heard her trying to stir the topic back to the question of accommodating their guest. Later the fox was taken by Gareth to be introduced to other metalheads of the family. Trying to stay positive, as there was not a little part of her screaming at Gareth to give her fox back or face consequences, Judy watched the strange duo disappear with a thought that she now had at least a third of the burrow to support her decision to allow the fox stay.


End file.
